Yesterday, Irene and I had breakfast at the hostel; orange juice, tea, and lemon’cream filled croissants. Very tasty, and actually filling. After breakfast, though, we each went our own way. Irene went to check out some paintings and see Ili, while I headed back to the Palatine to go on some tours.
One ticket covers entrance to both the Palatine and the Coliseum, but it does not cover a tour for either. The tours are provided by third parties for an extra fee. I found an English one for the Coliseum for €10. The most interesting part for me was learning about the Coliseum in the middle ages. We covered its use pretty extensively (at least as well as the tour) in high school Latin, but not its decay. Two facts in particular stood out. One, the Coliseum probably would have survived until today had people not mined it for metal in the middle ages. Originally, there were metal rods in the rocks that helped it survive earthquakes, etc. However, people decided that it was easier to find metal in the Coliseum than other ways, so they chipped holes in the rocks and took it. Then, when there was a strong earthquake in the late 1400′s, the south side collapsed. Secondly, over the years, theColiseum became host to a large number of plants that were originally found in Africa and Asia, because the seeds were brought in with the various animals used in the fights. The high walls protected the plants from the weather, and in the 1800′s, a book was published documenting over 400 species that could be found no where else in Europe. Of course, people then exterminated them.
After touring a bit more on my own, I grabbed some pizza for lunch. There, I discovered that Italians don’t offer you water in a glass, they offer you water with gas, ie carbonated water, which I detest. So, I ended up getting two bottles of water with my pizza.
Around this time, I was starting to feel extremely overheated and tired, so I started to go back to the hostel. On the way, I stopped and did some work in an internet cafe. In England, you just sit at a computer and pay anonymously afterwards, but in Italy, they need your ID and assign you a seat.
Eventually, I took a nap, but I slept better than expected and awoke at 7:00. This meants taht I pretty much had to run to the panteon (not quite, but almost…) to get there by 7:30 for dinner. Thankfully, I knew my way around by then, so I was able to get there before 7:35. Irene and Ili met me, and we sat down for pizza.
Our waiter kept joking with and winking at Ili, so she told us that she asked to make sure that the pizza was the same as at the other restaurant with the same name, and that it would be just as good. The waiter said yes, but that he could serve us bad pizza and we would never know. Probably true. In any case, Naples-style pizza is very thin and not very filling; thus, each of us ordered our own pizza. I started to eat by cutting off a slice, like in America. However, by observing Ili, I noticed that Italians use their knife and fork to cut small bits one at a time. Then, they eat the crust with olive oil. It really works well with the thin pizza. After we’d finished eating, we were served a lemon-flavored sweet liquor; I think it was called lemoncello or some such. Mine was very tasty without an overwhelming taste of alcohol.
On Thursday, Irene left for London, and I had to switch hostels. Irene booked the one we were in, and I neglected to get a third night. My first task then, was to go to Stazione Termini to find the last m inute hotel bookings. I was able to get a single room in a hotel next to the station for only €33.
In the afternoon, I spent €8 to get a student admission to the Vatican Museum. There, I spent at least three hours looking at paintings, statues, mummies, and the Sistine Chapel. My favorite painting was (I think) by Donatello… All the labels were in Italian, so it was hard to tell. The Sistine Chapel was also amazing, but it was too crowded and too rushed. I think I would need a year and a personal guide to appreciate all the aspects of Michaelangelo’s work.
After that, I tried to get a reservation on the 10:30 train to Florence, but was tymied by the closing ticket office and my lack of a “Fidelity Card” for the ticket booking machines. Now, I’ve showered and gotten ready for bed, and am just writing in my journal…
Yesterday I travelled alone again; this time to Gendelwald in the Swiss Alps. Because Gemma and Nancy needed to take Todd’s only key to him in Amsterdam, I also had to get up at 5:30 to leave… This meant we said goodbye until September while extremely tired.
After Sienna, we drove another hour to a farmhouse in the country. The land in Tuscany is very pastoral and beautiful. Rolling hills, grape vines, and olive trees dominate, while the occasional hilltop farm house merely serves to complement nature (well, the cultivated nature).
Gemma arrived a little late on Saturday; the trains were still recovering from Friday’s strike… As a result, I ended up standing in McDonald’s (no chairs) with a heavy backpack for a few hours. Needless to say, I was very happy to see her when she finally arrived.
